PGE employees donate more than $1.5 million to local organizations

1,700 employees and retirees give to 1,000 charitable organizations

Dec. 10, 2014

Portland, Ore. — Portland General Electric employees and retirees are helping to spread some extra holiday cheer this year. Together with a 50 percent company match, employees are contributing more than $1.5 million to their favorite charitable organizations through the 2014 Employee Giving Campaign. Since the company match program began in 1999, PGE and its employees have contributed more than $19.5 million to their communities.

“Every year we are inspired by the many PGE employees and retirees who are excited to give back to their community, whether through hours of volunteer work during the year or by pledging donations in our employee-led campaign,” said Dave Robertson, vice president, public policy.

Work for Art topped the list of recipients for the second year in a row with donations totaling almost $60,000 to help support arts and culture organizations throughout the region. PGE’s “internal champion” for Work for Art, Verlea Briggs, has been instrumental in her dedication to give back to the community.

“Giving to Work for Art enables the support of more than 100 arts organizations, making our community rich with arts and culture. This attracts families, companies, and tourists who will in turn create more energy and financial support for schools and vital services,” said Verlea Briggs, manager, customer technical services. “PGE believes that our business is only as strong as the communities we serve.”

Another top recipient was OHSU’s Knight Cancer Challenge which received more than $40,000 from the Employee Giving Campaign, in addition to $100,000 granted earlier this year by the PGE Foundation.

“We are so grateful to PGE and its employees for their incredible generosity toward the OHSU Knight Cancer Challenge,” said L. Keith Todd, president of the OHSU Foundation. “We have an ambitious goal — to end cancer as we know it — and we are inspired by the corporate leaders like PGE that have stepped up to make this cause their own.”

Other top recipients this year include the Oregon Food Bank, Oregon State University Foundation, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Oregon Burn Center, Providence Cancer Center, the Oregon Humane Society and the Dougy Center.

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About Portland General Electric Company
About Portland General Electric Company: Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon, serving approximately 872,000 customers in 51 cities. For more than 125 years, PGE has been delivering safe, reliable energy to Oregonians. With 2,700 employees across the state, PGE is committed to building a cleaner, more efficient energy future. Together with its customers, PGE has the number one voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. For more information visit PortlandGeneral.com.